@themcnoisy Thanks, I’ll put it up after it’s graded so I don’t have to explain to the teacher that it’s not plagiarized, even though it’s on the Internet. “Wait wait, I can prove that’s me. Watch me login and and show that I mentioned it was being written for an essay!” Lol.

Speaking of FFXV, I'm considering getting the Royal Edition sometime soon. I've been wanting to play the game, the only thing is my list of games I need to get through. Would you guys recommend the Royal edition, or should I keep putting it off, since there's still DLC coming whenever?

"We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real 'greatness' is what you do with the hand you're dealt." -Victor Sullivan"Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing." -Solid Snake

@DerMeister I’d go for it. I’m waiting to the DLC to play it again personally, but I wouldn’t wait if you don’t have the base game. Plus the first person feature would make for an excellent second playthrough if if you want when the next batch of DLC comes around. I just hope some people still playing comrades when I get it. (Or maybe someone here has interest in it at least if the servers are empty.)

So I’ve been thinking about FFXV, and one criticism is that the story seems loose without a clear objective or plan early one. They just go about doing things. I think is actually a strength though. Hear me out. No fix and gang are completely unprepared for Lucis bing conquered, for the adventure they’re about to on. I think the reason the story is that way is because they don’t have any reason to know what to do anymore. They’re just doing whatever they can taking it a day at a time. It’s about them figuring out what to do as they gradually mature. The task they have is pretty insurmountable. Once they mature though, the story becomes more focused like they are. It makes sense when you view it as part of coming of age story.
(That first villain guy in the mech was really quick though, I’ll give you that one.)

They are on a stag do, car breaks down, they need to fix it, fix it, hometown is attacked and overtaken, the gang go on a mission to get the power of the astrals and royal bloodline in order to turn the tide of war, noctis ventures to find the weapons of the bloodline, noctis joins a convenant with the big old man astral, noctis needs to marry his gf (Alfreya?) which leads to a link to the giant sea fish snake if it accepts them, Ardyn kills gf / wife, giant sea fish snake goes on a killing spree, ardyn reveals himself, cue true meaning of everything Ardyns immortality and why hes being a jerk.

@themcnoisy Impressive summary. It's really clear when you put it that way. I think the fact that it's clear in that way also furthers the idea that it was told the way it was intentionally. I really think the story gets too much hate. Some of the background info just could've been explained a little better.

Man, I can't wait until I eventually play FFXV again now. Espcially with that first person mode. I hope it gets a VR remaster or something like that one day. That would be so cool. Speaking of which, anyone have any impressions on the first-person mode in the Royal Edition?

Also, does anyone think that the movie Kingsglaive doesn't really help you understand the game? If anything was hard to follow in FFXV, it was that. I honestly think I was glad I watched it after I played the game once I saw it. Gorgeously animated though.

The only easter egg I remember is from the first Final Fantasy and that was in one of the towns depending on which version you play, there is a tombstone that reads Here lies Erdrick (Nes, Famicom) the hero from Dragon Warrior/Quest or Link (GBA) from The Zelda series.

@Themcnoisy Here's that FFXV review. For anyone who reads it, remember my target audience was most likely not a gamer. And they also liked it, as it wasn't worth a huge number of a points as a smaller assignment, but got the best grade it could for that.

Final Fantasy XV is the long awaited sequel in the Final Fantasy series, where each game stands on its own, as opposed to having interconnecting stories and worlds. After 10 years in troubled on-and-off development, how has it turned out? It is fantastic overall, with a story and brotherhood at its center that especially stand out.
Final Fantasy XV (FFXV) is set in a world that’s a combination of modern technology and fantasy. Swords, giant swords, guns, cars, smart phones, TVs, big combat mechs and robots, and mythical type beasts of any size are all present in one cohesive package here.
The story focuses on Prince Noctis and his three best friends, Gladious, Ignis, and Prompto. The former two are royalty, like Notcis, while Prompto isn’t. The story starts out with Noctis and his friends going on a trip to the city Altissa, where he will be married as part of a peace treaty between his kingdom Lucis and the conquering empire Niflheim. However, on the way there, they discover that Niflheim broke its promise, aggressively conquered Lucis, and killed the king, Noticis’s father. This starts the journey to reclaim a lost kingdom. The heart of the story, though, is the coming-of-age tale and the brotherhood among these four young men as they engage in a kingdom-saving road trip in the “Royal Regalia.”
The brotherhood they have is more real feeling and personal than that of any other game, movie, TV series, or book I’ve experienced. You truly care for these four central characters and feel like they’re your friends by the end. The small conversations and attention to details make all the difference. In most games where you have a group following you, you always walk in the front and everyone follows behind. In FFXV, you all walk side by side or have a party member or two in front you as you walk, making you feel like you are among friends, rather than just leading a group of warriors. Another example of these details: I was walking towards a diner in the game, and Ignis said, “Why don’t we check out the store [beside the diner]?” I kept walking to the diner and heard, “Are you coming?” as Ignis and Gladious walked into the store; I followed suit with a smile.
The open world of FFXV is gorgeous, with picturesque mountains with arches; lakes with giant beasts; and forests to see as you drive and run around in the world. The sights are further shown off as Prompto, a photographer, often asks if they can pull to the side of the road to take a photo of the group at a landmark or otherwise beautiful place. The Venice-like city Alltissa also deserves a mention for its beauty. If you think of Venice and picture it even more gorgeous and surrounded by striking waterfalls, you would have a good mental picture of Alltissa.
The combat with the enemy soldiers of Niflheim and the various beasts is fun and engaging. There’s a nice system of switching between dodging and attacking, with some additional mechanics to add depth, such as teaming up with a party member for a team strike from behind and Noctis’ ability to warp-strike enemies. These systems also require thought and tactics. The difficulty is also well balanced - enough that I never died and had to load a previous save in order to continue, which I have never experienced in another game.
FFXV isn’t perfect though - the side-quests the games offers in addition to the main story are disappointing. They usually amount to “collect this item that’s on this part of the map because I sell that stuff” or “kill X number of Sabertusks because they apparently disturb people.” Sometimes a side-quest even changes the objective to a more exciting “collect 8 red frogs because they help my research.” The game would have benefited greatly from more varied and in-depth side quests that had an actual narrative.
The game also features one of the best antagonists I’ve seen. He falls into what some would call “James Bond villain syndrome” with the complexity of his plots, but instead of making this a problem, it becomes a part of his character in an enduring way. His quest for revenge is so deep that he wants the best finale possible, so much that he’s willing to directly assist the main characters to achieve that finale. The lack of practicality is perfect for him.

The story also has some excellent subtleties. For example, Prompto struggles to feel like he’s good enough to be in the group. He lacks the royal training for combat, among other things, that the others had growing up, making him less capable in some ways than the others in the group. Instead of just telling us this fact, the game shows it as well, because in combat it’s usually Prompto who’s the first to need someone to revive him after he’s taken some hits.
Overall, FFXV is a stellar game that succeeds where it matters most, the story and the brotherhood it uses to tell it. While some of the side activities in the open world are lacking, it still provides a beautiful environment for the game’s road trip. FFXV’s strengths far outweigh its negatives. It also stands as one of the few games to evoke tears from me. I rate it 9 out of 10.